Independent Township reaches 100° on about 11 days a year, more than 92% of U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 19°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 87% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 0.6°, most of all in January. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to March, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Independent Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Independent Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Independent Township’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Independent Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 175 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ellsworth, KS, 20 miles from the town’s center, 280 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Independent Township’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −3°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 15 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Claflin, KS, is heaviest from January through February, about 4 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 28 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 58 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Independent Township
78% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Ellsworth, KS.
Living with Independent Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
175 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 23 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 16.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Independent Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (31%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Independent Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Independent Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Independent Township’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent Township, KS | 19° | 92° | 28" | 15" |
| Woodward, OK | 22° | 95° | 26" | 15" |
| South Ogden, UT | 21° | 91° | 22" | 23" |
| Perryton, TX | 22° | 94° | 21" | 14" |
| McCook, NE | 15° | 92° | 21" | 20" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Independent Township averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Independent Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Independent Township’s place among Kansas’.
Independent Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Independent Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Claflin, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 19° | 0.7" | 4.4" | 3 | 24° – 42° |
| February | 47° | 22° | 1.0" | 4.0" | 3 | 26° – 43° |
| March | 57° | 32° | 1.6" | 1.9" | 5 | 37° – 55° |
| April | 67° | 41° | 2.2" | 0.3" | 6 | 47° – 60° |
| May | 76° | 51° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 57° – 71° |
| June | 87° | 62° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 92° | 67° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 76° – 86° |
| August | 90° | 65° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 82° | 56° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 5 | 64° – 76° |
| October | 69° | 43° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 49° – 62° |
| November | 55° | 31° | 1.1" | 0.9" | 3 | 36° – 50° |
| December | 44° | 22° | 1.0" | 3.8" | 3 | 24° – 38° |
| Year | 67° | 43° | 27.5" | 15.3" | 58 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 42°. July is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Independent Township’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Independent Township’s center.
- Snow: Claflin, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ellsworth, KS, 20 miles from the town’s center, 280 ft lower; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Independent Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Independent Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 62% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 88% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Independent Township in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 137 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Independent Township get?
About 15 inches in a normal winter at Claflin, KS, heaviest from January through February, about 4 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Independent Township?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 67°. About 63 days a year reach 90° and 11 reach 100° (Ellsworth, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Independent Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 16, about 175 frost-free days, at Ellsworth, KS.
What growing zone is Independent Township in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Independent Township?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Independent Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Independent Township.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.